Just a couple of videos from YouTube that I think are pretty good, and hope you think so as well:
First up, "White Pass Railroad," by Del McCoury, featuring some amazing old footage of the White Pass & Yukon of Alaska:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajgGo7u9CQk
The second is "Steam Train Blues," by Chris Rea; both the footage and, even more interesting, the performer, are British. I guess the blues are international now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ZAv7aUUp4
Two GREAT Videos
Many Thanks
You can hear another song on my webpage
Found a couple more neat songs; these are for the diesel fans. . .
First, the "Yankee Flyer," actually the Boston & Maine's "Flying Yankee" motor train:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJbZI1_G5VA
The song and pictures don't match; the photos are of the Conway Scenic in New Hampshire (former Maine Central), while the song, "Main Line Mountain Railroad," is set on the Donner Pass line of the Southern Pacific. Both are still good for me, though, and I hope you enjoy them, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v65bYlNhl-E
"Mainline Mountain Railroad, a hundred miles of granite paved with steel. . ."
How about this for the "ole timers", like myself from "Boxcar Willie" (Wreck of Ole 97).
Note that johnny Cash made it popular too in the 60's.
One more "ole timer" was Jimmy Rogers (the singing brakeman)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyk3AEXvmLg&feature=related
Also Johnny Cash train songs:
Long Black Train
Folsom Prison Blues
Hey Porter
Wabash Cannon Ball
On the Evening Train
Orange Blossom Special
Give My Love to Rose
just to name a few!
One of my favorites and I sing it often enough, I sing country music with bands and karaoke on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights is Hank Snows "I'm Moving On".
Here's a whole list of mostly Country Western train songs, over a hundred of 'em.
http://www.thespoon.com/trainhop/songs.html
Zowie, that's some list, and a lot of classics there, too!
I have a weird brain. Someone says something, or I think of something, and my mind thinks of or remembers something else. In this case, your comments about Johnny Cash reminded me that he was a big rail enthusiast, and that he had done a special on railroad history way back when. A bit of looking (which admittedly had been done not too far back on Railway Preservation News) lead to finding it on YouTube. It's in six parts, and the link below should play all six in sequence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoR7mcsVxtU&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLB37E1F027F216C4D
Impressions from glimpses of something I haven't seen in 40 years include Cash's enthusiasm for the subject, Southern 4501, Clinchfield 1, and the Victorian style titles that you also saw on the covers of trendy train books of the time (which was the early 1970s).
Have fun.
I did! ;D
Thanks, J3a.
R,
JV
Zowie
Waiting for A Train didn't list the original by Jimmie Rodgers
Freight Train Blues was also done by Elton Brit and is the theme on my Web Site ( Click on my sig )
Hank Williams also had California Zephyr ( same tune as his Pan American ) where he mistakenly says it was pulled by the Union Pacific
Ben Dewberry's Final Ride was Final Run and by Jimmie Rodgers
here are some lesser known songs with railroad references:
trains, by porcupine tree
red brick dream, by xtc. this one is about swindon, a railway town in england, and contains references to several classes of british steam being scrapped.
The song "Wabash Cannonball" came first.
The train was named after the song. The song was not named after the train.
Isn't fun to look up some of this stuff?
Now, I do have to admit, some of what I'm finding is "modern," compared to a few other things, but it's still stuff you don't hear too often. . .
I normally wouldn't have anything to do with something with "choo choo" in it, but this recording of "Old Black Choo Choo," about the end of steam and performed by the Maddox Brothers and Rose is an exception:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWOa5HWT0mI
Some years ago, the group Restless Heart took on the same subject matter in "Big Iron Horses:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed2uVhNJ_JE
"The Locomotion" is best known in its original form by Little Eva, but check out this one by Sylvie Vartan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2I2Rmgs7g
Have fun.
Back in 1969, when I was just getting started in the hobby, my friend had an LP album (remember those?) by Johnny Cash, titled "Story Songs of Trains and Rivers". It was the best one of its type in my opinion.
I later tried to buy a copy, but it was out of production. If I had one now, I wouldn't even be able to play it.
Merle Haggard had a very good railroad album, too, but I don't recall the name of it.
Les
Merle's was My Love Affair With Trains
Original material
He also had a tribute to Jimmie Rodgers -Same Train Different Time
Did some looking around, the song, "Mainline Mountain Railroad," is from an album of train songs by a fellow named Bob Wood; the album title is "Don't Forget the Trains." Some samples from the album are available below:
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Forget-Trains-Bob-Woods/dp/B00003ZAHT
Interesting that the album (CD really) is something of a custom order item. . .at least that's the impression I get of a description of it being "manufactured on demand". . .
Just spent the last hour and half watching train videos with 2 of my sons.
The music was great and we learned a lot of history
Thanks to all of you for the posts!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people see blues as the soundtrack for Model Railroading. But I'm not much of a blues fan. A lot of music I listen to are uplifting soundtracks from action motion pictures and anime
Found two more videos, different versions of the same tune, "Raised by the Railroad Line," written by Paul Craft:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVzYGTU91wU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR-n8x4jNh8&feature=related
uncbob,
Yes, that was it!
He had a cut on it entitled "I won't give up my train". It was written from the viewpoint of a train crew member.
I often thought of this song when working as a locomotive engineer.
Les